


Under the Black Light

by nuttinonice



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aquarium AU, First Kiss, Fluff, Gay Disaster Keith (Voltron), Gay Disaster Shiro (Voltron), Humor, M/M, Making Out, Modern Royalty, Prince Shiro (Voltron), Private Investigator Keith, SHEITH - Freeform, Shiro works at an aquarium
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24204664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nuttinonice/pseuds/nuttinonice
Summary: There’s probably better coping mechanisms for the overwhelming pressure of royal life than flying off to America to put on penguin shows and run touch tanks, but Shiro’s never considered himself especially… conventional.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron), sheith
Comments: 10
Kudos: 112





	Under the Black Light

**Author's Note:**

> This was for @yawaraikaiarts, ily!! 
> 
> Please check out the awesome art they made for it: https://twitter.com/yawarakaiarts/status/1242860172923600900 
> 
> And if you're new, be sure to follow me on Twitter as well @nuttinonice!

There’s probably better coping mechanisms for the overwhelming pressure of royal life than flying off to America to put on penguin shows and run touch tanks, but Shiro’s never considered himself especially… conventional. He just wanted to go somewhere he wouldn’t be recognized. Somewhere he could do the things he enjoys, be among animals, among nature, things he could hardly do at home where he always had a security detail even to grab a cup of coffee.

The aquarium is like a paradise. He takes his lunch break in front of the whale shark tank, hangs out with dolphins after hours. The best part? No one here seems to know who he is. He’s just another young adult, working at the aquarium in the summer. 

Or at least, he  _ thinks _ he isn’t being recognized. It’s not like most Americans keep up with Japan’s modern symbolic monarchy enough to recognize the prince. The aquarium goers are more locals than tourists, but he’s getting skeptical there might be a fan - or someone worse - who knows who he is. 

He first spotted the guy in the back row when he was putting on the penguin play time show. He’d thought it was weird seeing a young adult there with no kids, but he also thought he was pretty cute. He looked a little out of place in a leather jacket, a silver stud in his nose, and sunglasses on his head, but Shiro caught him smiling throughout the show. Maybe the guy just loves penguins. Who doesn’t?

But then Shiro sees him again. 

He’s giving a talk at the touch tank, explaining to the little ones through a mic’d headset how to properly touch their rays and starfish, telling them fun facts and helping out the shyer children who are too timid to reach in themselves. Shiro sees this guy again, with no kids, standing at the end of the touch tank, one hand lazily dipped into the water, half stroking a starfish, but he’s clearly not paying attention. When Shiro looks over at him, the guy quickly looks away and Shiro finds himself… blushing?

He shakes his head clear and focuses on the aquatic tasks at hand. He’s probably just going a little stir crazy. He never got to date back in Japan (at all) and if he wasn’t worried about who this guy was, he might be a little inclined to walk over and flirt with him. He’s definitely Shiro’s type. He looks lean, but strong, and Shiro likes the punky look he’s got going on - especially in an aquarium full of little kids. Maybe this guy is a local who’s noticed him? Does he think Shiro’s cute too?

He rolls his eyes at himself and goes back to talking about his starfish fun facts - or as he likes to call them,  _ fin  _ facts. He can’t let himself get all wishy washy. Dating would be fine. It’s part of why he left the country, because he wanted to be able to have a love life in peace, but he can’t jump at the first good looking guy he sees. Especially one that’s acting a  _ little _ like a stalker. 

Shiro makes up his mind that if Cute Punky Stranger ever introduces himself, and Shiro’s assured he’s not a weirdo, he has every right to flirt and maybe see if he can get a phone number. If this guy doesn’t come up and speak to him though, well… Shiro can’t be too careful. He has a small but fanatic fan base that almost exclusively exists back in Japan, but there’s always the off chance he could run into one in public and this guy might have a weird fixation on him if he knows who he is. 

When he goes for his lunch break that day, he feels his phone buzz for the millionth time and grimaces, checking the screen on his way to the smoothie bar, even if he knows what it’ll say. His parents have been calling non-stop, almost on the hour, since he left. Shiro’s answered a few times to remind them he loves them, but he’s an adult, and he needs his own life. If they ever want him to come back and visit, they’ll respect that. 

By God with his life practically behind walls, Shiro’s earned the right to an adult life. He wants to work at his new job that he loves. He wants to find a boyfriend and enjoy living on his own in the studio apartment he’s renting. He wants to live a little. 

Reaching the smoothie bar, he orders his usual, stepping off to the side while he waits for his drink to blend when he sees the guy again and feels his chest tighten. Now, it does feel like he’s being followed. 

The guy is sitting at a table across the cafe, his sunglasses on now, but it’s still obvious he’s staring at him. The dude looks on edge too, all weird and tense like he’s ready to pounce. What the fuck is this guy’s problem with him? It's definitely not a fellow disaster gay, too awkward to say hi or introduce himself. This guy is… weird. 

“Strawberry sunset for Shiro.” A server chimes and Shiro sighs in relief as he takes the smoothie from her, an excuse for him to now turn and walk away, but before he can even take a sip, that guy is up like a shot. 

“Don’t!” The strangers shouts, smacking the smoothie from Shiro’s hand so that it falls to the floor, splattering over both their shoes and Shiro looks at this man wide-eyed. What the  _ actual fuck _ ?

“Um… Can someone call security?” Shiro asks, his heart pounding as he looks over at the servers behind the counter, afraid to meet the eyes of this man even through the sunglasses. 

“Wait, wait, no, shit.” The man curses, sliding his sunglasses back up onto his forehead. “I’m not a freak, I swear, there just was  _ not _ a good way to keep an eye on you in an open plan aquarium without being noticed.”

“What the fuck?” Shiro takes a few steps back and glares. Okay, so it definitely is one of his crazy fans and if security doesn’t come quick, he’s pretty sure this guy is going to try and snip off a lock of his hair. 

“No, no, no, I mean I wasn’t, like,  _ stalking  _ you, I was just…” The man gestures vaguely in the air. “Okay, fuck, look I’m just private security. I know who you are and your parents hired me and I wasn’t supposed to blow my cover like that, but they warned especially that someone might try to poison you?” He winces. “Sorry.”

“My parents?” Shiro blinks, quickly turning to the servers and sighing. “Cancel security, I’m really sorry about the mess guys.”

“Yeah, I uh… didn’t think that one through.” The stranger grimaces before looking apologetically at Shiro. “I’m kind of new to this job, I didn’t mean to freak you out. I’m Keith.”

“Okay, uh… Keith. Can we talk for a minute?” Shiro asks, trying to stifle his anger. He’s pissed beyond belief that his parents would hire private security all the way in the U.S. just to spy on him. No one’s trying to poison him, it’s just their manipulative way of convincing Keith how important it is to follow Shiro. 

“Sure.” Keith swallows, his cheeks a little pink as he steps around the smoothie puddle and follows Shiro out of the cafe. “Sorry about your lunch.”

“My parents really hired you?” Shiro says once they’re back in the aquarium, standing in front of the penguin tanks. 

“Yeah, um… Sorry if I freaked you out, seriously, they pay me by the day just to watch you and make sure you’re safe and everything.” He runs a hand through his hair and huffs. “I’m not especially great at it. Your parents sound like a lot.”

“They are.” Shiro tsk’s. “No one’s trying to poison me. People in this country barely know who I am, that’s why I’m able to work here in the first place. They’re just nuts, they won’t let me have my own life at all.”

“They sounded like that on the phone.” Keith chuckles a little and Shiro hates how the sound of his laugh tugs on his heartstrings a bit. The guy really is cute, but Shiro’s positive he’s just desperate. He’d probably think any man his age was attractive. “But um, they did tell me you have crazy fans sometimes? They said you’ve gotten hurt before.”

“It wasn’t that bad.”

“Yeah, well, that’s why I’m here.” Keith shrugs. “Look uh… How long is your lunch break? Could we talk somewhere a little more private?”

“I have an hour.” Shiro blushes. Somewhere private? “Why?”

“I think this might be better for both of us if we can come up with our own terms on how we want to do this, you know?” Keith says. “It’s my job to watch you, but I’m sure we can find a way to make it less creepy. Plus, I don’t want to out your royal identity to all the little kids around here.”

“Fair enough.” Shiro cracks a smile. “I know a place, come on.” He lets his guard down a bit, taking a deep breath as he leads Keith out of the exhibit and towards a new area, roped off by a velvet cord he lifts to let him and Keith through. 

“I can go back here?”

“No, but I can.” Shiro says, leading Keith into an increasingly dark hallway until they make it to the tanks. “It’s uh… kind of my favorite spot right now. The exhibit doesn’t open for another week.”

“Damn.” Keith breathes and Shiro can see the genuine excitement in his eyes as he looks around them. 

The exhibit is going to be called ‘moonjelly cavern.’ It’s a room completely surrounded by a tank, ceiling included, filled with moon jellies that glow in the black light. There’s something about it that feels so private and peaceful to Shiro. It’s a great place to talk. 

“I see why you like this job.” Keith says as he sits down in the middle of the room, still staring at the jellyfish floating above them as he pats the empty space on the floor next to him. “If you have questions, you can ask me anything.”

“Um.” Shiro bites his lip. “When did my parents hire you? I just noticed you around a couple days ago.”

“I uh… started a couple days ago.”

“You really aren’t that great at this job, are you?” Shiro teases and Keith laughs in response. 

“I’m not, I had to pick it up after my boyfriend kicked me out last month.” Keith says like it’s nothing personal. “Nothing sad, it was just kind of over and he got fed up before I did.” He lays back on the floor and stretches his legs out, sighing as he watches the jellyfish go by. Shiro can’t help but notice how good he looks in the black light. His eyes are almost purple.

Shiro’s heart thumps in his chest. Keith is gay… Maybe he’s not as crazy as he thought he was for finding him cute the other day. Maybe there is kind of a… vibe between them or something. He’s never really been with someone before anyways, so how would he know? “That sucks, I’m sorry.”

“Eh. Shitty boyfriends be shitty.” Keith sits himself back up to look at Shiro. “What about you? Any lucky lady I need to run a background check on?”

Shiro feels his face go red. “Uh, no.” He barks out a nervous laugh. “Girls aren’t really my type, but um… I mean, if you’ve talked to my parents, you’ll believe me when I say I’ve never had a real boyfriend before.”

“Wait, really?” Keith’s eyebrows pushed together. “Are they homophobic?”

“Just overprotective.”

“Well that’s lame.” Keith huffs. “You’re cute as hell. You have a Greek god body and you work with animals all day. Not cool to keep that off the market.”

Shiro feels butterflies in his stomach - the good kind, not the anxious feeling he gets whenever his parents call. 

“So you’ve never dated? At all?”

Shiro shakes his head. “Nope. I’m twenty two and I’ve never even been kissed. How sad is that?”

“No way.” Keith pouts. “That’s just not fucking right, no wonder you left. I was wondering what the deal was since, you know, I’d kill to live in a mansion or some shit, but damn. You really couldn’t have a life at all, huh?”

“Nope.” Shiro smiles at how sweet Keith is about it all. He seems genuinely bummed out on his behalf. “No school dances, no prom, none of the rite of passage stuff where people usually go through all the romantic milestones. It drove me crazy as a teenager. Still kind of drives me crazy now, just not  _ knowing _ what a kiss feels like. It’s nuts and it’s also, like, who would want to kiss someone like me who hasn’t done anything at this age?”

“Well shit, I’ll kiss you.” Keith says as if it’s the most casual offer in the world. Like Shiro’s just asked him to borrow a cup of sugar. “I mean, if you just want to know what it feels like. And if you don’t tell your parents because I need their rich people money.”

Shiro feels lightheaded. It’s almost like the daydreams he’d have as a teenager. They’re all alone, bathed in purple light, and Keith is right here offering to  _ kiss _ him. He can’t say no, but his nerves have him too seized up to say yes. So he just… nods. He looks at Keith, sees those bright eyes that have been looking at him so intently this whole conversation and nods his head. 

“Just close your eyes.” Keith smiles, reaching over to put a hand on Shiro’s knee. “Don’t be nervous.”

Shiro thinks of a quip about being a twenty-two year old virgin -  _ of course he’s nervous _ \- but he does what Keith says instead, closing his eyes and staying absolutely still. Nothing changes for a moment. They sit in silence, Shiro’s eyes shut and Keith’s hand sending tingles over his skin where it rests on his knee, but then Shiro feels the warmth of Keith moving closer and it’s happening. Keith kisses him on the lips, a soft delicate touch that makes Shiro’s heart threaten to beat out of his chest. 

It’s so warm. Keith’s lips are smooth and Shiro can’t believe how gentle it feels. When Keith pulls away and smiles at him, he feels like he’s falling. “Was it everything you hoped for?” Keith asks, giving Shiro’s knee a squeeze. 

“I… um.” Shiro swallows and looks up to meet his eyes. “Do it again.”

Keith’s expression wavers for a moment, the surprise evident in his eyes and Shiro thinks maybe he’s gone too far when Keith leans in and kisses him harder, his free hand rising to hold Shiro’s jaw as he presses their lips more firmly together. 

Shiro can’t help the low moan he makes against Keith’s mouth. It’s unlike anything he’s ever felt and then he feels something new entirely. He feels Keith’s tongue licking over his lower lip until Shiro naturally parts his lips and lets him in. 

He groans again that time, one of his hands reaching out and grabbing onto Keith’s jacket for purchase as they kiss deeply under the black light. Keith’s tongue is warm and wet, sweet like water droplets and so  _ addicting _ , Shiro can’t bring himself to pull away until they have to come up for air. 

“Too much?” Keith breathes, his face entirely flushed, even if it’s barely visible in the dark. “Sorry, you’re just uh…” He makes a fluttery hand motion. “You’re pretty good at that for someone who’s never done it before.”

“Really?” Shiro swallows. 

“Did you like it?”

“Yeah.” Shiro takes a deep breath. “Yeah, I-I really liked that.”

“Well…” Keith gives a little smile and shrugs his shoulders. “We’re gonna be spending a lot of time together. I wouldn’t mind getting to know you a little more.”

“Yeah?”

Keith nods and turns his head to the side, leaning in close and planting a kiss on the side of Shiro’s neck. It’s a closed-mouth kiss, but Keith lingers for a moment, lets Shiro take in the new sensation of being kissed somewhere else before he pulls away again. “Does it make me totally creepy if I thought you were cute when I first started guarding you?”

“I thought the same thing about you, but then I thought you were a stalker.” Shiro laughs, his heart still palpitating from the ghost of Keith’s lips on his skin. “I um… I’d like to get to know you more too. I have coworkers here, but no one who really knows me. It’d be nice talking to someone who, you know, um… Gets where I’m coming from.”

“I wouldn’t mind.” Keith says and puts his hand on top of Shiro’s, sending electricity all the way to the tips of Shiro’s fingers as he gives it a squeeze. “Thanks for not flipping out and beating me up or something?”

“The muscles are just for show, I promise.”

“Good, you could probably break me in half.”

“Why are you a body guard again?”

“I may have exaggerated my resume.”

They both laugh and Shiro scoots a little closer to him, enjoying the simple feeling of being so close to another person. He loves Keith’s warmth, how it radiates. It’s weird how quickly this person stopped feeling like a stranger to him. 

“I won’t tell my parents I know about you.” Shiro says, his heart fluttering again when he turns to look at Keith. “You could um… You could keep teaching me if you wanted to.”

“Yeah?” Keith flashes that same adorable smile. “Well I think you have a lot to learn. You might just need my phone number.”

“Deal.” Shiro smiles back as he pulls out his phone and hands it to Keith. “I think I’d be happy to learn from you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed this cute piece of fluff, I had a blast writing it. Hit me up on Twitter any time @nuttinonice!


End file.
